Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘They Are Trying to Steal the Election from Us’ as Voting Enters Final Hours

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused opponents of attempting to steal Israel’s national election Tuesday following arrests in a suspected voter-bribery investigation, as record turnout prompted his right-wing coalition to launch an emergency mobilization effort in the final hours before polls closed. “They are trying to steal the election from us,” Netanyahu warned, referring to three suspects reportedly associated with the Arab Ra’am party who were arrested on suspicion of bribing voters in southern Israel. Ra’am denied wrongdoing. The accusation came as voter turnout reached 66.7 percent by 6 p.m., compared with 57.7 percent at the same hour in the 2022 election — the highest turnout ever recorded at that point in Israeli history, according to the Central Elections Committee. With polls scheduled to close at 10 p.m. local time, Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich coordinated emergency efforts to mobilize right-wing voters, including plans to convene dozens of local officials, according to Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went door to door in Bat Yam urging residents to vote, while Likud reported that hundreds of volunteers were canvassing homes in Lod. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned that “this day will determine the existence of the Jewish state.” The last-minute push followed reports of strong turnout in Arab communities and left-wing strongholds, raising concerns among coalition parties about their ability to mobilize supporters and the prospects of smaller right-wing parties crossing Israel’s 3.25 percent electoral threshold. Meanwhile, Likud and several allied parties petitioned the Central Elections Committee to extend voting beyond the scheduled 10 p.m. closing time. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party opposed the request, accusing Netanyahu of laying the groundwork to challenge the election’s integrity. Election officials had already clarified that voters waiting in line when polls close would still be permitted to cast their ballots. The developments unfolded against a closely contested election in which final pre-election polls projected neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor its opponents securing a clear majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset. The outcome could hinge on smaller parties crossing the electoral threshold, with television exit polls expected shortly after voting ends. Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.